


Five Times Magnus and Alec's Friends and Family Noticed How Happy They've Made One Another

by orphan_account



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: F/F, Happy Malec, M/M, slight jimon, slight mizzy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-03-25
Packaged: 2018-10-07 22:34:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10371249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Magnus and Alec have been dating for a few weeks now, and their friends and family are beginning to notice a difference in their behaviour.





	1. Jace

**Author's Note:**

> thank you denise and alex for inspiring me to write a short, soft malec fic
> 
> (ps this was gonna be a 5+1 but i didn't have the time or creative energy to finish it off but i still got the 5 first chapters done so hopefully y'all won't be too mad at me)

There was no better way to get your mind off things than getting drunk. At least, that's what Jace had always forced himself to believe, even if he knew that deep down, it simply wasn't true. It didn't matter though, because he was in a bad mood, and his persistent thoughts were consuming him, and he didn't know what else to do other than to call Alec and beg him to join him at the Hunter's Moon.

Although, he hadn't really expected to see his sister kissing a certain werewolf at the back of the bar, or for Alec to get completely shitfaced after only an hour of being there.

"Now that," Alec slurred, pointing towards the door where Maia and Isabelle had just sneaked through after they finally noticed the two boys sat with a full view of what was going on, "doesn't really surprise me."

"Why not?" Jace asked, dipping his little finger into his drink absentmindedly. He was no where near as drunk as Alec, a fact which he wasn't too happy about, but he couldn't bring himself to chug his drink as he usually would.

"Well, you know Izzy. She's always been, you know." Alec sighed, closing his eyes like it was taking a lot of strength for him to fathom together a plausible sentence. "Supportive. That's the word. Supportive. Yeah." He chuckled, snapping his fingers.

"And I haven't?" Jace scoffed jokingly.

"Of course you have! It's just Iz- Isabelle knew about me since we were really little. Like before, before you came to the Institute." Alec explained. "She always knew what to say, like it was coming from personal experience or something. So whatever is going on with Maia," He gestured again to the back room, "doesn't surprise me."

Jace nodded. He knew that Izzy had kept Alec's secret for years, cherished it even. He hadn't once stopped to think that maybe it helped that she was going through the same thing, that she drew from her own personal feelings and that's how she always managed to be there for Alec when he was too scared to actually go to anyone else.

"How did I end up being the only single Lightwood child?" Jace sighed, but there was a playful undertone in his voice.

"Ha. Who knows? It was always me. You and Izzy never had a problem with dates." Alec chuckled, taking another large gulp of his martini. Now that was new, since when did Alec drink cocktails?

"And now look at you, the High Warlock of Brooklyn's significant other." 

Alec raised his eyebrows as if he were testing out the way the words sounded in his head and a large, sloppy grin grew across his face. 

"I know I'm drunk, and you're probably going to use this as blackmail material later but... God I'm so happy Jace." Alec giggled. His eyes were wide with excitement and pupils blown from the alcohol he'd consumed, but the look on his face let Jace know that he was speaking with complete sincerity.

Alec took another sip, before readjusting his body on the bar stool. He leant forward, elbows rested on his knees and lifted his hands in front of him, gesturing as he spoke.

"Magnus, he's just got this thing about him, yeah. He's so, so... magical. And he smells so good, all the time. Like, what? Who smells good all the time? Not me. Not you." He jabbed Jace in the arm, as if to emphasise that he did in fact mean Jace. "And he's also really sparkly."

"Sparkly?" Jace laughed, not being able to stop himself.

"Yes!" Alec practically shouted before looking around the bar and back at Jace accusingly, as if it had been Jace that had brought everybody's attention to them with his loudness. "He makes glitter look good on everything. I mean, he looks good in everything. He looks... he is everything."

Alec's slurring was getting worse by the minute, but Jace didn't feel like stopping him yet. It was so out of the ordinary for Alec to speak this openly about himself, about his personal life, and to have an enormous grin on his face whilst doing so. No, there was no way that Jace was in a rush to ruin this moment with his brother.

"I almost forgot." Alec added, tapping Jace repeatedly on his knees. "His skin is like, the best skin I've ever seen in my life. Flaw-less." He sighed, shaking his head almost in disbelief. "It's so soft. And so is his hair. Oh my God, his hair is really nice gelled up and all, but have you SEEN it when it's down?"

Jace narrowed his eyebrows as he took a large drink of his beer. "I can't say I've ever had the pleasure."

"It's just so nice to touch. And he looks cute when his hair is down. Gellless, I mean. But don't even get me started on his eyes. Not his glamoured eyes, his eyes aren't bad but his real eyes are something else. I swear to God, I nearly died when he first showed me his cat eyes when we were messing around in his bedroom."

Alec widened his eyes a little but Jace didn't seem phased. Even the alcohol couldn't stop Alec from being embarrassed when it came to talking about sex. 

"Wait. The best part. He's the best to cuddle. He's like a giant pillow or something. I don't understand how one person can be so warm and so, so... warm." Alec frowned. "Did I say warm twice?"

"Yes." Jace chuckled, shaking his head.

"Well, that's because it's true." Alec brought his hands up and rested his face there, moving it slowly from side to side and he was all soft smiles and glassy eyes. "I think I love him."

"Really? I don't think I've ever been in love." Jace admitted, taking his eyes off Alec and scanning the bottles that invaded the bar. "Not really, anyway."

"It's just like this really fuzzy feeling. I shouldn't have fuzzy feelings. I'm a soldier, I kill demons. I mean, I'm a Shadowhunter and I've been brought up to look down on Downworlders but I could never look down on Magnus. Never." He paused for a moment and then smirked, bringing his drink to his lips. "Well that's a lie. I've looked down on him a few times."

"Innuendos. Magnus would be proud."

"He always talks about sex, doesn't he? It comes naturally to him. Everything does. He's so carefree. He makes me feel carefree. I really do think I kinda might be in love with him." Alec gasped, as if he was coming to some completely new realisation.

"You said that already, buddy. You're also swaying in your seat there." Jace noticed, watching as his brother's body moved back and forth a little. "I think it's time I got you home."

It turned out that Alec wasn't really ready to go home but was more interested in drinking at least 2 more cocktails and explaining in explicit detail all the things he liked about Magnus. He spoke about his voice being the best sound he'd ever heard in his life and how it really wasn't fair that he looked good in absolutely any type of clothing, even army jackets and fingerless gloves, and how he was really envious of how pretty he was, with or without makeup.

In the end, Jace found himself dragging a staggering Alec along the streets of New York at an excruciatingly slow pace, his shoulders aching from where Alec's arm rested against it to keep himself up right. It was probably Jace's fault for allowing him to get so intoxicated, but it had been entertaining to hear about his brother's life and had even cheered up his previously bad mood.

By the time they reached the Institute, the sun was already beginning to rise in the distance to welcome in the morning. Jace found his way to Alec's bedroom and pushed him onto his bed, not bothering to remove his shoes or help him out of his leather jacket. He was just about ready to leave Alec to sleep off the intoxication and head to his own bedroom when Alec caught his hand softly, face still pressed into the pillow where he had fallen face first onto the bed.

"Text Magnus for me. Let him know I'm home. I told him I would tell him when I'm home." His voice was muffled from the cotton below him, and Jace could see where his eyes were scrunched together as if he were already beginning to feel the hangover that was approaching.

"Yeah, sure thing." Jace whispered, reaching softly into Alec's back pocket to grab his phone. They'd long ago stopped caring about things as simple as passwords when it came to one another. If they were going to be parabatai and share a part of one another's soul, then it definitely wouldn't hurt to share their phone passwords as well.

Jace didn't know what he was expecting, but something about the new lockscreen he found himself staring at warmed his heart. He saw Alec, a HUGE grin slapped across his face and crinkled eyes staring directly into the camera with his hair falling down across his forehead. Next to him was Magnus of course, pressing a kiss to Alec's cheek with both arms wrapped around his neck pulling the Shadowhunter closer to him, his lips pulled up at the corners into a soft smile. They both looked ridiculously happy, a sight that was rare for Alec. 

Jace made a mental note to thank Magnus for making his brother actually feel something good again the next time he saw him as he punched in a quick text, reassuring him that the pair had made it home and Alec was going to have a wicked hangover in the morning and would need some warlock TLC.

He placed the phone down on the bedside table and shuffled to the bedroom door. He was halfway out, a gentle smile still lingering when Alec lifted his head.

"Also, stop being dumb and text Simon. I know you like him. I'm sure he likes you too." He shrugged before dropping his head back into the pillow and seemingly falling asleep instantly.

Jace scoffed with disbelief, but found himself sending a good morning text to a certain vampire later on when he was tucked up in his own bed. If Izzy could find happiness with Maia and Alec was able to openly be in love with Magnus, then maybe he had a shot too.


	2. Maia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> maia opens up to magnus

"I say we make a good team, Maia." Magnus chuckled, patting off the grass that had somehow found it's way onto his clothing as he made his way through the doors to the Jade Wolf.

"I guess so." Maia replied halfheartedly.

The pair were coming back from Central Park where they had seperated an altercation between a few mundanes and a young werewolf who had been unable to stop herself from turning. Luke had been busy at the Institute, spending time with Clary and Jocelyn since she had woken up from her comatose state, but Maia having heard about how dangerous the situation could quickly become realised she would need assistance and the person she knew who could help her best was Magnus.

Since sorting out the issue and sending the mundanes safely on their way without injury, Maia had kept fairly quiet as they walked back to the Jade Wolf, with the young pup trailing behind, her head bent down in shame. Maia knew what it was like to be newly Turned, and felt pity for the young teenager, but she still couldn't muster the strength or the energy to try and comfort her.

"You guess so? Darling, you wound me." Magnus chuckled, pressing a gentle hand to the back of the quiet girl who stumbled through the restaurant doors a few moments after them. "Now, I'm guessing you're a little hungry?"

She nodded, her cheeks red and stained with tears. It was obvious that she was pained with grief and guilt, both fairly normal emotions to experience after you'd realised you were a werewolf, a fearless predator who was capable of harming innocent people without meaning or wanting to. Even though Magnus and Maia had gotten to her before she had a chance to harm anyone, it didn't stop the fact that she had lost control, and Maia understood how difficult that was to come to terms with. 

"Take a seat at one of the booths. I'm sure Taito wouldn't mind keeping you company whilst I have a chat with Maia. Is that okay?" Magnus asked gently, bending forward slightly so he wasn't towering over the young girl. 

"Yeah." She whispered. It was one of the few times she had spoken whilst she had been with them, and her voice cracked from how sore her throat was due to the crying and screaming. "Thank you."

Magnus smiled, a genuine and supportive smile, and squeezed her arm gently, before pointing her towards one of the empty booths. 

Taito, who had been listening in on their conversation since they'd entered the restaurant, made his way to the booth to introduce himself and once Magnus felt comfortable with the wolf's safety, he turned his attention to Maia.

"Are you hungry as well?" 

"No." Maia shook her head. "How much do we owe you?"

Magnus scoffed, and began to walk to the back of the restaurant where the lights were low and there was more privacy, beckoning Maia to follow him.

"I don't require any payment, I came because you needed help. However, it looks like you still do." He questioned, raising an eyebrow as he studied Maia's face.

"I don't know what you mean." She replied, but there was no emotion behind her voice and even she realised that she wasn't fooling anybody.

The two of them sat down next to one of the windows giving a brilliant view of the docks and dark skies outside, and Magnus summoned a cocktail into his hand and swirled the glass slowly.

"I've lived for centuries darling, it's going to take a lot more than that to convince me that you're okay."

Maia rolled her eyes, and rested her chin in the palm of her hand. She noticed then that there were flakes of dried blood on her fingertips, presumably where she had had to free her claws in order to safely approach the young wolf when she had been out of control, and quickly covered her hand with the sleeve of her hoodie.

"Okay, well if you won't talk, I will." Magnus announced, sitting up and taking a sip from the cocktail in his hands. "Something's clearly bothering you, and I'm not too sure what it could be. You've got a lot going for you right now. You practically saved those mundanes lives without much help from me, you're an important part of the pack thanks to Luke and you've even won the affections of Isabelle Light-"

Magnus was unable to finish his sentence before Maia had dove forward and covered his mouth with her hand, her eyebrows furrowed in fright. 

"Ah. I think I might have worked out what's bothering you." Magnus chuckled when she finally pulled her hand away, looking around the room to make sure that no one had noticed them.

"I don't want to talk about it." Maia whispered, staring down at the table as if the wood was the most fascinating thing she had ever seen.

In all fairness, Maia did want to talk about it, but she didn't know how to express what she was feeling without sounding like an idiot. It didn't seem to bother Magnus however, who simply moved his chair closer to hers so that they could speak in lower voices for Maia's comfort.

"I'm not going to force you into talking, but I'd like to understand why you're so upset. Alec told me he saw the pair of you the other day and you looked happy together?"

"That's just it." Maia groaned. "People have started noticing, we keep getting caught. I... I don't think I can deal with that."

She could tell that Magnus was deciding on his next words carefully, a small concentrated look on his face.

"Is it because she's a girl?" He asked, suddenly serious.

"What? No." Maia explained, stuttering slightly. "No, I don't care about that. Everyone in the pack knows I like girls anyway. No, it's just... she's not, you know, one of us."

Maia didn't mean to sound so blunt but she was scared of Magnus' judgement, even though she doubted he would have any, and even if he did, she couldn't imagine him ever being harsh with her.

"You mean, she's a Shadowhunter?" He deadpanned, and Maia cursed herself for forgetting how Magnus seemed to always understand what people meant without actually saying it.

She nodded, and almost found herself wanting to hide her face in shame. As a Downworlder, and as a werewolf, she knew exactly what it was liked to be judged and have prejudices thrown against you for being what you were, but yet she was still doing the same thing to Izzy.

"All my life, I've been told Shadowhunters don't care about us. I'm scared to let myself believe that she could care about me." Maia admitted.

"Maia, there are good and bad among all of us. I've known horrible warlocks, evil vampires and caring Shadowhunters. Trust me, I know the good ones are rare to come across, they are an annoyingly proud set of people, but somehow they've managed to raise some of the best men and women I've ever known in all of my time on earth." 

Maia sighed. "But that's easy for you to say, you're not part of a pack. I have no idea how they'd react, how they'd look at me if I told them I was dating one of the Nephilim." 

Magnus frowned, and took another sip of his drink. Maia came to realise he often drank when he needed time to think of his next words, when he needed a moment to comprehend what he wanted to say.

"That's true, I'm not part of a pack. But I do have stubborn friends who I've known for centuries who don't mind telling me how much of a fool I am if I do something that seems out of the ordinary to them." He chuckled, rolling his eyes playfully. "At first, they didn't agree with me when I told them about Alec. Not just because he was a Shadowhunter, but also because he was a Lightwood. Let's just say, I haven't always been as happy to spend my time with their family as my company."

"But then I told them more about Alexander. I told them about the little things he would do for me, how incredibly endearing he is and how honest and apologetic. I told them how he simply wasn't like other Shadowhunters and Lightwoods we had known in the past, that the family had changed and in some miracle, had raised an incredibly loving man."

"Of course, they didn't believe me to start with. I'm the first to admit I haven't been the best judge of character when it comes to romantic partners in the past, but I knew and still know that I'm right about Alec. He's a good man, and I would have been extremely unlucky to have never known that if I had simply pushed him away for being a Shadowhunter. You don't want to make the mistake of pushing Isabelle away on the off chance that she could be like the big, bad Nephilim you were brought up to believe in. The ignorant among them still exist of course, many operating in the Clave and high in power, but like I said, there are bad within us all. You just have to look for the good and keep a hold of it when you find it."

Maia listened intently as Magnus spoke, finding herself calming a little the longer he went on. His words made sense, and she knew she was wrong to doubt Isabelle over something as simple as the blood that happened to run in her veins. Whether her hesitation was justified or not, Maia liked to think she knew Isabelle to be better than what her engrained judgement believed.

"Alec's got you sounding like some sort of Shadowhunter spokesperson." Maia finally teased, the cheerful tone back in her voice. She felt more relaxed now that Magnus' words were hitting home.

"Maybe." Magnus chuckled, lifting his cocktail from where he had placed it on the table. "But I mean what I said, he's a good man. I often fear it's me that's not good enough for him."

"That's crazy. It's obvious you both make each other really happy, regardless of what goes on around you. You're good for him Magnus, and I've already witnessed that he has a great effect on you."

"Thank you, my dear." He smiled, and Maia recognised the smile immediately as one full of affection and adoration directed towards Alec. She recognised it simply because it was the same smile that she wore when looking at Isabelle.

Before either one of them could speak again, the doors to the restaurant opened and Luke came in, an exhausted expression plastered on his face even though he seemed to be happy behind his tiredness. He made his way over to the booth where Taito still sat with the young girl who had since finished her Chinese food and was now devouring a bowl of ice cream. Luke spoke with Taito for a few minutes before looking around and making his way to where Magnus and Maia were sat after spotting them.

"Hey, thank you for looking after Hazel whilst I was gone, I appreciate it." He gestured towards the pair of them, before focusing his gaze on Magnus. "Have you discussed payment yet or should I deal with it?"

"Really, you people insult me. I don't want paying for doing a good deed." Magnus explained, standing up and pulling his coat back on from where he had abandoned it on the back of his seat. 

Maia and Luke exchanged a look, before walking with Magnus to the entrance.

"Alec's made you soft." Luke chuckled, shaking his head and crossing his arms.

"He does quite the opposite, actually." 

"Magnus!" Luke and Maia groaned in unison before they all burst into laughter. 

Magnus was halfway through the docks on his way home to the loft when he heard footsteps running after him. Turning, he found himself being pulled into a fierce hug.

"Thank you for the pep talk. I'm going to call Isabelle later." Maia whispered, her voice muffled from where her mouth was covered by Magnus' jacket. "And thank Alec for me as well."

"What for?" Magnus questioned, his own arms wrapping around Maia. 

"For changing your opinion on the Lightwoods. They're not as bad as most people would think." She winked, before waving him a goodbye, and running back towards the Jade Wolf.

No, Magnus thought, there didn't seem to be much wrong with the Lightwood children at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this ended up being reallllly long but i live for magnus and maia brotp, and mizzy.


	3. Isabelle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> isabelle comes home from a day with maia and sees something she never thought she would see in her life. ever.

Isabelle strided confidently through the halls of the Institute, shopping bags still in hand and her long cascade of hair flowing out behind her. She had promised herself this morning before she left that she wouldn't go on a huge spending spree today, but when you had an enthusiastic girlfriend willing to watch you try on as many clothes as you wanted and complimented you in every single item, it was unavoidable. Besides, Maia wasn't wrong. She _did_ look good in everything she had tried on.

It had felt like the most mundane thing Isabelle had done in years, and whilst killing demons was one of her favourite things to do, she couldn't help but admit she'd had a good time with Maia doing something as simple as spending a day at the mall, and she couldn't wait to see her again in a few days time and go the movies. Things were even better now that Maia wasn't so worried about who would see them in the streets and was more open about their relationship after informing the pack of what was going on between them, which Isabelle had come to learn was thanks to Magnus' advice.

Izzy dropped her bags in her bedroom and went to try and find someone within the Institute. She had noticed whilst passing through that it was oddly empty for the time of day, and even though she was aware that if something had happened whilst she was out that she would have been called in by Alec or Jace, it still didn't stop the small glimmer of panic that began to grow inside her chest.

The ops centre was vacant, but as she passed through, she heard her brothers voice coming from the training room. She had been excited to tell Alec about her day with Maia since she'd left her at the Hunter's Moon, and found herself jogging to the room where his voice had come from.

To say she was surprised was an understatement when she skipped up the steps and saw a flash of orange and black and metal in front of her. Alec stood with a rod typically used for fighting, his shirt slick with sweat and beside him was Clary, another pole in her hands and her chest rising and falling in quick, fast breaths.

Now, Isabelle had seen many strange things in her life, it was something that came with the job of being a Shadowhunter, and overtime she had experienced enough fights with dozens of species of demons that she eventually stopped being surprised by their disgusting appearances, but  _this_ was an entirely new level of weird.

Alec's wrists were bandaged with tight, white cloth, and the left leg of his sweatpants was pulled up to just below his knee. He was definitely in his training gear, but that was impossible. Clary and Alec hated being in the same room together, let alone actually doing something as engaging as training together.

"Um, hi." Izzy cleared her throat, at a strange loss of words.

"Izzy! Hey!" Clary turned, a smile growing as she finally noticed Isabelle at the top of the steps. 

Alec remained silent, and knew that Izzy's arrival evidently meant his training session with Clary had now come to an end. He slowly unwrapped the cloth around his wrist, stretching the tendons in his hand to relieve the tension that had built after holding the metal bar for so long.

"Did you just get back?" Clary asked, completely unaware of the awkward tension that was quickly growing in the room. 

"Yeah, I had a good day," Izzy answered, but she wasn't really paying attention. Her eyes were on Alec, who seemed to be doing his best to avoid looking in her direction. 

Clary noticed her vacant expression and soon began to catch on. It must have been strange for her too, seeing as she wasn't exactly Alec's biggest fan the same way that he wasn't hers, and she cleared her throat before pulling her hair from its loose ponytail and making her way to the steps.

"I have to call Luke, something's up with Simon again. I'll leave you two to, uh, catch up," And with that, she gave Izzy a gentle smile before descending the steps and heading to the bedrooms.

Alec still remained silent, now focused on placing the discarded poles back where they belonged with the rest of the weapons. Isabelle studied him, making sure that the person in front of her really was her brother and not some random Shadowhunter using the shapeshifting rune to pull a painfully unfunny prank.

"Are you going to keep glaring at me, Iz?" Alec finally broke his silence, turning around to face his sister. He placed his hands on the table behind him and leant backwards, one eyebrow raised.

"Until I've worked out that you're definitely Alec, yes," She replied nonchantly.

Alec scoffed. "Why wouldn't it be me?"

"Because, big brother," Izzy began. "You and Clary training together? That just doesn't happen. I mean, it's  _Clary,_ " 

Her brother chuckled lightly, pushing himself off the table to stand in front of her. His hair was still plastered to his forehead with sweat, but his breathing was back at a normal pace now.

"I was passing by and saw she needed help. What's wrong with deciding to be a little more helpful?" Alec shrugged, like coming to Clary's aid was something he could usually be found doing.

"She's needed help in the past, what changed? How come you suddenly care about being kind to her now?" 

" _Izzy,_ " Alec groaned. "Just leave it, I was only helping her out. She needs to train if she's going to be any use when we're on missions. If anything, I was just looking out for my own ass. I don't know about you, but I won't be happy if the way I go out has something to do with Clary Fray not being able to watch my back properly."

There it was. The snarky tone was back, and Izzy finally saw Alec in her brother's body and not some weird, overly-friendly imposter.

"Fair enough, but what happened to 'I'm never setting foot in the same room as Fray again'. Where's that guy?" Izzy questioned, but at this stage she was just teasing him.

"I've been told that guy should stop being mean," Alec explained.

It finally clicked. Izzy smirked, stepping forward and pulling the pole that Alec had just put back into her hands, turning and spinning it skillfully in one palm. He watched her, confused and tried to pull it back, but she simply spun it past his arm and above her head before bringing it to her side, vertical to the ground.

"So, what you meant to say is that  _Magnus_ told you to stop being so mean?"

" _Izzy_ ," Alec groaned, stepping forward once more in an attempt to grab the pole. She was too quick for him again, ducking below his arm and appearing behind him. "Give me that."

"No," She giggled. "Grab your own. What, you can train with Clary and not your own sister?"

Alec rolled his eyes, but obliged, turning swiftly and choosing his own before swinging it around so that it met Izzy's as she went to pull his feet out from under him.

"Not quick enough." 

"Don't get cocky, big brother," Izzy laughed, lifting the weapon in front of her horizontally. Alec copied her movements and they began to crash the two sticks together, moving across the training room. "It doesn't suit you, but I'm sure Magnus has already told you that,"

At the mention of Magnus' name, Alec's eyes widened slightly and he began to put more force into his strikes. 

"Actually, he likes it when I get cocky," Alec retorted, a little more confident than he usually would. There was a time when Alec would clam up when Magnus was mentioned. It was nice to see him speak about his boyfriend so freely now after months of being so awkward and silent on the topic.

"Oh, I'm sure," Izzy smirked, lifting her pole high so that Alec reflected her movement with his own arms, and she took the opportunity to quickly bend and swing one leg round, hitting Alec's own and bringing him to the floor.

He coughed, winded from the unexpected fall and glared up at his sister. "Ok, so you've gotten better at that,"

She winked, offering her hand out to help Alec up, and when he was stood, she smiled up at him, one hand resting on her hip whilst the other remained a firm grip on the metal bar.

"Why are you smiling at me like that?" He frowned.

"It's just nice to see you like this." 

"Like what, exactly?" 

Izzy shrugged, finally giving in and placing the pole in her brother's hand. She brushed the dust off that had gathered on her trousers after sweeping her leg across the floor to bring Alec down, and looked him in the eye.

"I don't know, I can't really pinpoint it. You just seem more... relaxed. Happier, I guess,"

Alec blushed slightly but before he could reply, his phone began to ring from the front pocket of his sweatpants. His face lit up after reading the name on the screen and when he turned to look at Isabelle, he cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed at how big his grin had grown just from looking at who was calling him.

"Sorry, Iz," He apologised, brushing her arm with his hand as he passed by. "I gotta take this, it's uh, it's Magnus,"

He had already dashed out of the room without waiting to see if Isabelle had anything to say and now that she was alone and nobody could see her, she shook her head fondly, a small smile upon her face.

"That's probably why he's happier." She laughed quietly to herself, tightening the ponytail that had began to loosen as she made her way across the Institute towards her bedroom so she could call Maia and tell her how much of a softy her big brother had become.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> izzy teasing alec about magnus is 100% canon.
> 
> ps i'm sorry if this seems shorter than the others and that it came a day late, i actually struggled a lot with this one hhdjdj
> 
> magnus' favourite trio next chapter.


	4. Raphael (and Catarina) (and Ragnor)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monthly get together for Magnus and Co.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, did anyone say "my four favs in one room"

There wasn't many things that Raphael could tolerate, let alone find enjoyment in. He was simple. He kept his business to himself, he looked after his clan, he prayed. It was the way he liked things, and was the only reason that he believed the Downworlders of New York respected him. Not just because he was the leader of the New York clan, but because he didn't  _interfere._ What other Downworlders did with their time was their business entirely, and Raphael cared more about the safety of the Night Children than he did about gossip and secrets that could only bring trouble to the Hotel.

However, when the only three people in the world who you actually enjoyed being in the same room with for more than five minutes happened to be warlocks, that could sometimes complicate the whole 'keeping out of Downworld affairs' thing Raphael had going for him.

He couldn't remember when it started, _what was time when you were immortal anyway,_ but for a good period of his life as a vampire, Raphael had somehow been convinced into monthly dinners at Magnus' house, along with Ragnor and Catarina. It's not that Raphael didn't enjoy these dinners, in fact he almost always had a good time, and that  _wasn't_ because he liked spending time with Ragnor as Magnus seemed to believe it was, but he'd never admit to them he actually found liked being in their company every month. Besides, the down fall was that their get togethers always ended up in gossiping and storytelling. Something Raphael liked to think he was above.

"The Seelie Queen isn't  _that_ awful, surely." Ragnor persisted, leaning back in his seat. 

"You'll defend anything as long as said thing has a pretty face." Catarina giggled.

"And you say  _I'm_ bad!" Magnus chimmed in.

The three of them laughed together, but Raphael couldn't help but notice the fact that Magnus wasn't really himself tonight. It was like he was trying too hard to sound interested, laughing too loudly at undeserving jokes, and only swirling his wine in its glass instead of actually drinking it. His mind was clearly somewhere else.

There was also the fact that he had called the three of them two hours earlier than their usual meeting time and asked if they could arrive earlier because he had  _plans_ that evening _._ It wasn't a secret that Magnus cherished these meals together, it was he who came up with the idea in the first place, and he always arranged things to fit around them. He had never cancelled, and definitely never scheduled something on the one night of the month his friends had cleared their calendars for him, so something had clearly changed. 

"Are you alright?" Ragnor questioned, noticing the confusion that was probably plastered across Raphael's face.

"I'm fine,  _amigo."_ He turned towards Magnus. "Iwas just wondering what wonderful plans Magnus must have that he deems so special that they require the shortening of our get together."

"You do love to put me on the spot, don't you?" Magnus huffed.

Instead of answering, Raphael raised an eyebrow. He was sat directly across from Magnus, Catarina to his right and Ragnor to his left on the square dining table, a perfect position for him to stare Magnus down. Catarina and Ragnor seemed intrigued now, both turning their attention to Magnus as well, who was probably feeling like he was in some sort of spotlight with all eyes on him. He would never complain about attention being solely his, but this was just plain _mean._

 _"_ Actually," Catarina spoke. "Raphael has a point. You almost didn't talk to me for a month when I had to attend to a patient instead of coming here, and now you suddenly have better things to do then spend time with your best friends?"

Ragnor chuckled and the three continued to stare at Magnus in amusement, their eyes practically burning into his skin.

"This is a personal attack. I won't stand for this in my own home." Magnus exclaimed, putting the barely touched wineglass down and crossing his arms.

Raphael rolled his eyes. "Always one for dramatics."

"At least one of us has to portray some emotion, darling." Magnus smirked.

"Now, now boys," Catarina giggled. "But seriously, what are you doing tonight?"

Raphael watched as Magnus bit his lip, clearly contemplating what he was going to say, _if_ he was going to say anything at all. They would never know, because before Magnus could even speak his phone vibrated from the middle of the table where they'd placed all of their mobiles so that they weren't "distracted by the outside world during dinner".

It didn't matter how fast Magnus tried to lunge forward, he was no match against Raphael's vampire speed and he groaned loudly in annoyance, as the young boy peered down at the screen in front of him. He didn't bother reading it allowed, only laughed and turned the screen to the others so that the text was on full view for everyone to see.

 ** _Alexander_** : _What time should I be at the loft?_

Magnus didn't speak, only groaned once more and let his face fall to hide in his hands. Catarina simply gasped and began giggling but Ragnor rolled his eyes.

"I never thought you would ditch us for a Shadowhunter, Magnus." Ragnor scoffed, a smirk plain across his face.

Raphael shook his head. "What I can't believe is that you kept it quiet for this long, you usually can't shut up about your love life." 

"That's because it's different this time." Magnus admitted, his head still hidden behind his palms. 

Ragnor raised his eyebrows and exchanged a look with Raphael.

"If it's a repeat of the Camille situation, I don't wish to know anyway." Raphael scoffed.

"Or the Kitty situation." Ragnor added, the two of them laughing together.

"Leave him alone, you pair of bullies," Catarina scolded them playfully before turning to Magnus. "Why is it different?"

He sighed loudly, removing his hands from his face and instead clasping them together, resting his chin on his knuckles.

"It just feels different, Cat. I don't want to talk about Alec with you three because I don't want to ruin it. I feel like speaking too highly of him is just going to _jinx_ our relationship or something. Like it's going to change how perfect he's been so far."

Ragnor who had finally stopped laughing turned to Magnus in seriousness. "Old friend, you must understand it has been jinxed from the start. He's a Shadowhunter."

"And?" Magnus questioned. "I'm not going to judge him over where he comes from. Not all Shadowhunters are bad or have you forgotten about Will and Jem? Even Tessa? Besides, there's a first time for everything, is there not?"

"Magnus Bane defending Shadowhunters. This boy definitely made some impression on you." Raphael teased.

Catarina glared at the two of them who were laughing at Magnus' expense again, clearly pleased with themselves, and she turned to Magnus who was rolling his eyes.

"As long as you know what you're doing... we just don't want you to get hurt again." She explained, lacing her hands with his.

"I don't know what I'm doing, that's the thing," Magnus chuckled nervously. "But I don't care. It's different because I'm not with Alexander for the convenience. It hasn't been easy to get to this point. It's been anything but easy... do you know how much time it took just to get him to see I was interested?! I don't think I've ever worked this hard for somebody's affection before."

At that, Raphael and Ragnor stopped joking between themselves. This was new. Magnus never shied away from telling his friends about who he was seeing, but it was different when he actually beared his heart out for them to see. 

"You're actually serious about him?" Raphael asked.

Magnus didn't speak, only nodded and Raphael suddenly felt bad for treating the entire situation as a joke.

It's not that he had meant to be rude, but Raphael had witnessed Magnus make catastrophic romantic decisions in the past, especially those involving Camille, and resented any time he allowed somebody else into his heart because he didn't want to have to watch his friend go through that heartbreak again.

Camille had broken Magnus in a way that had made him close himself off for a long time, and it had been relaxing in a way for Raphael, because he didn't have the constant worry that someone was going to hurt him again after how vulnerable he had already become. He had watched Magnus love Camille and watched Camille feel nothing for him in return, and the last thing he wanted was to see that happen again.

But now, even Raphael could see that whatever was happening between Magnus and the Lightwood boy, this was different. For one, Magnus didn't seem exhausted like he had when courting Camille, he seemed alive. Like something had woken him up from his repetitive lifestyle as an immortal. Not only that, but Magnus had admitted he didn't want to talk about everything that happened with Alec with them, instead he respected the privacy of their relationship and wanted to keep things between themselves. With Camille, he hadn't cared about giving the three of them all the explicit and _disturbing_ details of their time together, but with Alec, it appeared that he didn't want to disrespect the Shadowhunters feelings. Not to mention, he'd even committed the most unforgivable crime of making plans on the same night of their dinner, which could all only mean one thing. This Lightwood boy was important to Magnus, and it finally hit Raphael how much of an idiot he had been.

" _Dios._ " He cursed. "Here's your phone, reply to lover boy and let him know he can start making his way over."

Magnus raised his eyebrows in surprise, reaching forward and taking his phone back. 

"We haven't even had dessert yet." Ragnor huffed, as Catarina and Raphael stood up, pulling on their winter coats. Raphael didn't really need a winter coat, after all he didn't feel the cold, but having no sense of temperature didn't mean he needed to have no sense of style.

"Love cannot wait, Ragnor." Catarina giggled, sliding gloves on to her hands and rushing to pull Ragnor up from his seat. "We'll pass an ice cream place on the way back or something. A Downworld one obviously, so Raphael can have something with blood."

The four of them made their way to the door, Magnus escorting his guests out as Catarina gave him a peck on the cheek and Ragnor nodded his head grumpily in his direction, clearly more focused on which ice cream flavour he would choose later. Raphael hung back, waiting for the other pair to be far enough down the corridor to be out of earshot before turning to Magnus.

"I can see that it's different this time too," He admitted, smiling only slightly. "I have a good feeling about this for you now you've opened up. Just _please_ for all our sakes be careful. Eternity is a long time to be telling you I told you so."

Magnus rolled his eyes in amusement and smiled at Raphael, his eyes crinkling.

"I got this. Now go, Alexander will be here any minute." He winked, pushing Raphael out of the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this kinda links back to maia's chapter when he mentioned how things changed after telling his friends about alec 
> 
> plus did anyone catch that tiny blink or you'll miss it raphaelxragnor moment 
> 
> hope you liked it :')


	5. Maryse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i've never been a parent but here goes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i decided to try and give alec the mother he deserves. short and simple.

"Are you even listening?" Raj sighed, clipboard in hand.

The truth was, Maryse wasn't listening. Well, she had been listening, very closely in fact, until the doors of the Institute swung open and she watched her son stride in, arm lazily resting over the shoulders of Magnus Bane.

Of course Maryse knew about their relationship, even people located in Idris had heard about the scandalous wedding held at the New York Institute where a certain Lightwood had left his wife to be at the altar and proceeded to kiss none other than a warlock in front of the entire wedding reception. Knowing about their relationship was one thing, actually seeing Alec this close to Magnus in front of a crowd of people and looking... happy? That was different.

She watched as Alec and Magnus almost automatically made their way over to where Jace, Isabelle and Clary were stood by the weapons rack, deep in discussion. The group seemed to welcome them, and resumed their talk, completely secluded from the rest of the Institute.

When Maryse was younger, it was strange to see two men or two woman act intimately with each other around company, but now, as time had moved on, she supposed it was accepted. Welcomed. Maryse had to ask herself the question of whether she had kept up and accepted it herself or whether she was still behind in her ways.

In truthfulness, it wasn't that Alec was with a man that made her uneasy. She may know that she had old-fashioned morals, but even she couldn't _really_ see the issue in same sex couples. It was life, it was natural. What she couldn't really get with was that her son just _had_ to choose Magnus Bane.

Maryse couldn't actually pinpoint the time in her life when she had decided that she didn't like Magnus, she just knew it was... there. Maybe it was because he was a Downworlder? Maybe it was because he was so unafraid of being himself around people, his flourishes and all? And did her dislike for him simply intensify because he had won the heart of her eldest son?

She continued to watch the group talk, Isabelle had leant forward towards Magnus, thumbing the diamond necklace around her neck. Maryse knew that necklace had been a present from Magnus, and it was a present that actually helped _protect_ her daughter. Magnus had gave Isabelle something that Maryse had never thought to, and that alone slightly infuriated her, even though she knew it was unfair. 

Alec was still stood beside the pair, but his eyes were locked onto Magnus. He seemed very relaxed, a state Maryse had not seen Alec in for a very long time. He didn't seem to be alert at all, like he had only months ago when he was always waiting for somebody to point out that he was doing something wrong. And he was _smiling_. His smile only brightened when Magnus appeared to say something funny to Isabelle and the three of them laughed together. It was impossible for Maryse to stop her heart warming slightly over the confirmation that Magnus was actually able to make Alec laugh.

In that moment, Magnus caught Maryse's eye mid laughter and paused. His confidence was almost lost as he hesitantly sent a very small, barely visible smile to her. She suddenly felt a pang of guilt and found herself forcing her head away.

Maryse knew why she didn't like Magnus. 

Magnus reminded her of a time she would like to forget. Every time she saw him, every time he entered a room, she was transported back to when she was in Valentine's Circle. It was like his very presence reminded her of the awful things she had done, the sadistic movements she had believed in and everything she had been willing to do just to please Valentine and the other members. She didn't hate Downworlders anymore, she knew that Valentine's influence had forced her to believe Downworlders were the enemy stopping them from keeping the world safe, but now she knew different.

Her children had Downworlder friends, and they were happy with them. Jace had been spending a lot of time with the vampires lately, Simon mostly and he seemed to be more content then ever. Isabelle had established good connections with the New York werewolf pack with the help of Lucian and Maia and thanks to her, the entire Institute was benefiting from the added knowledge and manpower that the pack brought. And as for Alec, he was in a relationship with a warlock, and one who appeared to make him very happy. It had been a long time since Alec had walked the halls of the Institute and was actually able to hold the eyes of the Shadowhunters around him. He was out, and everybody in the Institute knew it, and nobody... _cared_. 

When Maryse looked back the group, she saw Magnus waving goodbye to the Shadowhunters, and press a kiss to Alec's cheek, who's face was practically _beaming._ Magnus caught Maryse's gaze once more and this time, he attempted to smile much more confidently. Alec, following his eyes, found himself staring at his mother and he raised an eyebrow, slightly thrown back, but nodded his head towards her.

Now, Maryse was the type of woman who knew it was okay to admit you were wrong. She had accepted she had not been the best mother to her children whilst trying to run the Institute at the same time with a cheating husband as the only person by her side. She knew she was wrong to push them aside then. She also knew that now was time to accept that she had been wrong about Magnus Bane.

His face may remind her of a version of herself she regretted, but it was unfair to hate him because of it. She _didn't_ hate him, she hated the person he made her remember. But now, as she watched Alec escort Magnus to the doors, she knew she had a lot she ought to be thankful for towards him. She also knew that she had a lot to make up for.

"No." She replied, readjusting the hem of her dress and stepping forward.

"What?" Raj asked, baffled.

"The answer to your question is no," Maryse sighed. "I'm not listening. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and apologise to my son and his boyfriend."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was extremely difficult to write because i can't in any way condone the actions of maryse from either the books or the show.
> 
> however, i wanted to give my boy alec the mother he deserves and MY VERSION OF MARYSE is different to that of the other contents.
> 
> i tried to make this as healthy as possible etc and i know it's short and simple but i believe it's important for both alec and maryse :)


End file.
